Coast Guard accepts HC-130J following Minotaur retrofit

CGNR 2004, an HC-130J Super Hercules long range surveillance aircraft retrofitted with the Minotaur Mission System Suite, departs Waco, Texas, for the Aviation Logistics Center in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, following its acceptance by the Coast Guard Feb. 2, 2018. Photo courtesy of L3 Technologies Inc.

The Coast Guard accepted another HC-130J Super Hercules long range surveillance aircraft retrofitted with the Minotaur Mission System Suite, at the L3 Technologies Inc. Integrated Systems Platform Integration Division in Waco, Texas, Feb. 2.

/Our-Organization/Assistant-Commandant-for-Acquisitions-CG-9/Programs/Air-Programs/Minotaur-Mission-System/" style="color: #084476; font-weight: bold;">Minotaur is a proven, government-owned and -operated mission system architecture that is also used by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Minotaur incorporates sensors; radar; and command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment that enables aircrews to gather and process surveillance information for transmission to other platforms and units during flight. The Coast Guard is integrating the mission system across most variants of its fixed-wing aircraft; this process is known as missionization.

The aircraft, designated CGNR 2004, entered missionization in May 2017 and is the Coast Guard’s fourth HC-130J outfitted with Minotaur. The aircraft will return to Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, to perform operations alongside seven other HC-130Js. The location and missionization status of all Coast Guard HC-130Js is now as follows:

The next aircraft from Elizabeth City is expected to arrive at Waco for a Minotaur retrofit later this month; the next delivery of a Minotaur-missionized aircraft is planned for next month.

For more information: HC-130J program page and Minotaur program page